Drawings and Documents Archive

Historic preservation wouldn’t be complete without artifacts and records of things long past. That’s the focus of the Drawings and Documents Archive, which collects and preserves records about Indiana’s historic sites and structures. It also has a large repository of information about the careers of Hoosier architects, landscape architects, planners, engineers, and builders.

The archive’s mission is the preservation and dissemination of historical information about Indiana’s built environment. Stored within the archive are more than 100,000 drawings and renderings by practitioners across Indiana—some from present day and some as old as the late 19th century. Collections include specifications, photographs, and business records representing more than 40 firms and agencies.

Biographical files can be found in the archive, along with data files about individual properties and historic districts, and a library of reference material formerly used in professional practice.

Some of the other collections include:

measured drawings of historic properties, completed by Ball State students and following guidelines of the Historic American Buildings Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record

drawings and specifications relating to the university itself and its grounds

College of Architecture and Planning publications about environmental design and design education